


It Takes A Villager B

by Crollalanza



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Gen, first year friendships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-19
Updated: 2015-10-19
Packaged: 2018-04-27 02:57:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5030998
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Crollalanza/pseuds/Crollalanza
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>With the third years leaving after Nationals, Hitoka wants to ensure the Crows stay strong, but how can that happen, if her friends remain separate off the court? So she hatches a plan, along with her best Lieutenant, just to see if they can find common ground when not playing volleyball.<br/>But even the best laid plans have a habit of going wrong, especially where timing's involved.</p>
            </blockquote>





	It Takes A Villager B

**Author's Note:**

  * For [maychorian](https://archiveofourown.org/users/maychorian/gifts).



> This was written in response to a prompt from maychorian (Laura) on tumblr, for my 3k follower ficlet challenge. 
> 
> It kinda spiralled.

From her desk, she tried to concentrate on the problem. Not that anyone would really consider it a problem - that was part of the trouble - but to Hitoka, with an imagination that sent her into overdrive, it was a problem that could ruin things in the days, weeks, months and years to come.

And as she was the Manager (or nearly) it was up to her to sort it out.

“You look troubled, Hitoka.”

Her mom was standing in the doorway, hovering a little.

“Um, I guess,” she admitted.

“Anything I can help you with?”

Hitoka chewed her lip, unsure whether to ask, because on the one hand, the problem looked simple, and her mom might think her weak for having to ask, but then again ... handling a team was something her mom did exceptionally well.

“It’s about the volleyball team,” she said at last.

Her mum stayed where she was. “I figured. Another poster? More fundraising?”

“No, it’s not that. It’s ... um ...” She took a breath. “Team dynamics. How do you get people to get along, Mom?”

“Ah...” With a slight smile and a raise of her eyebrows, her mom stepped towards her, laying a hand on Hitoka’s shoulder. “Now that’s something I can help you with. The first thing you need to know, Hitoka-chan, is that every General needs good Lieutenants to keep the foot soldiers in order.  Now ... tell me what the problem is.”

She explained, faltering at first, but once she realised her mom wasn’t about to dismiss her concerns as trivial, Hitoka’s voice strengthened. Her mom said nothing, but nodded occasionally. She let her daughter speak; let her reach the end without once interrupting, a small frown creasing her brow.

“So, what do you think, Mom?”

“Hmm, well, it’s tricky, really. In my case, I’d organise something to join the personnel together, make them form a unit, so they can work cohesively. But you already have that. Karasuno are a team, and a successful one, so... what you need, in my opinion is something outside the box – or the court in your case.”

Hitoka gasped. “Unconnected with volleyball!”

“Exactly.”

***

‘Beep-Boop!’

**< <We’re on our way.>>**

_< <ETA?>>_

‘Beep-Boop!’

**< <15 minutes.>>**

_< <Cool.>>_

Hitoka busied herself in the kitchen. The rice was in the cooker, the pot had been turned down, a delicious smell of pork curry wafting in the air. All that was left to do was the final garnish on the dessert, dusting icing sugar over the top, and all would be ready.

Her phone rang.

“Yachi-san!”

“Hinata, where are you?”

“Uh, we saw a sport’s shop and went in. We won’t be late.”

“How long?”

“I dunno... fifteen minutes?”

“WHAT?” She gulped. “Um, Hinata, which sport’s shop?”

“The one on the main road near the Cat Cafe. It’s really great. They’ve got knee pads on sale, and trainers in all sizes. I tried some on and –“

OMG, they could be there for hours! Which would sort of be fine, but what if it wasn’t hours? What if they browsed, or Hinata made the assistant go into the back to find the right size kneepads? If they were any longer than five minutes in the store then ...

“No!”

“Huh?”

“You need to get here now. The ... um ... the food’s not ... um ... I mean the food is ready and if you’re late it’ll burn and then the house will fill with smoke and the alarms will go off and –“

“Uh, Yachi. I can’t really hear you properly. We’re about to pay. See you in fifteen.”

“B-but.” The phone went dead. She stared at it, open mouthed in shock.

A good lieutenant, her mom had said. Taking a steady breath she texted the only one she had.

_< <Problem. >>_

‘Beep-Boop!’

**< <What?>>**

< _< Target 2 has been delayed. Can you speed up?>>_

**< <Target 1 wants to look in the sports shop. I could slow him down.>>**

Sports shop... SPORTS SHOP!  _< <WHICH ONE???>>_

**< <Next to the Cat cafe.>>**

“NOOOOOO! Okay, breathe, breathe, we can do this. She picked up her phone ready to dial, but then ...  _‘PHRING PHRING.’_

 

“Hey, Yachi, we’re coming now. Oh ... hold on...”

“No, no, not hold on,” she screeched to Hinata. “WHERE ARE YOU?”

Silence. She could hear a laugh from Hinata, and then his voice chirped back to her. “There’s this cat in the window. He looks like Kenma. I’ve got to take a photo.” She heard a rustling. “Hey, stop glaring at it, dumbass. It’ll run off.”

‘Beep-boop.’

**< <We’re at the bottom of the High Street.>>**

Two more stores and they’d meet.

_< <Stay there>>_

‘Beep-boop.’

**< <I can’t.>>**

_< <Tie your shoelace, or something.>>_

“Hinata,” she screamed, praying he’d hear. “Go in the cafe.”

“Huh?” his voice was faint, high with laughter. “I thought you wanted us round at yours.”

“I ... um ... I ... need... uh ... NAPKINS!  Yes, napkins, and the cat cafe do really neat ones.”

“Do they? Only I thought they were kinda dumb. Sort of thing Natsu likes.”

“YES!” She practically wept with relief. “Go inside and get some napkins for Natsu-chan.”

“I thought we were late.”

“No, I turned everything off. Go on, Hinata-kun.”

‘Beep-boop.’

**< <I’m wearing slip-ons. Target 1 is suspicious. I pretended I was lost.>>**

“See you soon, Yachi-kun.”

“Bye, Hinata.” She hung up and pressed buttons with mind numbing speed.

_< <GO GO GO!>>_

‘Beep-boop.’

**< <What?>>**

_< <Sports shop. Go now. DONT GO IN THE CAT CAFE!>>_

‘Beep-boop.’

**< <He’s allergic, anyway. >>**

_Phew!_

‘Beep-boop.’

**< < We’re looking at trainers.>>**

Which were at the back of the shop. Away from the windows. At last something was going right.

_‘PHRING PHRING.’_

“Hinata! Please tell me you’re on your way!”

“Hey, Yachi. We’re coming now. We had a bit of trouble, ‘cause the cats all started hissing as soon as we went in. The manager was very kind and she gave me lots of napkins, but... uh ... we’re not allowed back in.”

“You’re coming straight here, right?”

“Uh... yeah... I was gonna go back and look at trainers but-“

He stopped abruptly, and then she heard another voice and what sounded like a growl and a yelp.

“You don’t have any more money, dumbass!” Hitoka heard.

 “Get off me. It’s your fault we were thrown out.”

“How can it be my fault? I got scratched!”

“You had to try and stroke one, didn’t you?” Hinata chuckled. “Okay, we’re on our way now. Hope you have plasters.”

Giggling, whether from happiness or the close shave, she wasn’t sure, Yachi hung up again. After checking the pot on the stove, she wandered to the bathroom, and stared into the mirror.

Her eyes looked rounder than usual.

Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea, her reflection seemed to be telling her. Perhaps it would have been better to be upfront about it, but she hadn’t wanted to take the chance that any of them would back out.

And her hair was sticking up at one side, so she scragged it back into the usual ponytail she wore for school, then clipped in two more slides before splashing some water on her face.

“Too late now,” she muttered when the doorbell went. “They’re here.”

It was, as she’d thought, Hinata, bowling inside with a huge beam of a smile on his face, wriggling out of his shoes and chattering all the while. Behind him, still not over the threshold stood Kageyama. He bowed a little stiffly, then crouched down to take off his trainers.  His fingers picked at the tight knot, trying methodically to tease out the laces.

_‘Beep-Boop.’_

**< <On our way up.>>**

The door was open.

Kageyama was visible to anyone who appeared from the elevator.

And Hitoka could hear the elevator moving again.

_< <Stall him!>> _she typed, but inside the lift she doubted he’d get her message.

“QUICK!” she screeched, and reaching over she grabbed Kageyama’s arm, pulling him into the apartment.

“Huh?  I haven’t ... uh ...my shoes ... I’m-” He broke off, stumbling on Hinata’s discarded shoe.

 “INSIDE! It’s um ... cold, Kageyama-kun. So ... uh ... my mom says we have to close the front door.”

He stopped scowling, immediately compliant, because his understanding was that the words ‘mom says’ meant an order rather than a request.

“Something smells great!” Hinata said.

Sniffing, Kageyama nodded. “Is that pork curry?”

“Uh-huh,” she replied, trying to sound casual.

“Hey, that’s Kageyama’s favourite!”

“Is it?” she asked innocently, rubbing her slippered toes against her shin as she glanced nervously at the door.  “I had no idea. My mom’s not back for dinner, so you could join me if you want.  I ... uh got some DVDs out. We could eat and watch, if you like.”

Kageyama frowned. “What about studying?”

“Oh, you guys are doing pretty good now. We could have one night off, eh, Hinata-kun?”

He nodded immediately, grinning at her because this part of the plan – the part where the three of them relaxed – he knew.

It was just the rest he had no idea about it.

Making sure Kageyama was seated, Hitoka snuck out and picked up their shoes, hiding them under the cabinet in the hallway, so they were only visible if you looked really close. It was a mere moment later than the doorbell rang, and then her heart which had been racing, thumped harder, pounding at her chest so erratically she couldn’t move.

But she had to. The doorbell sounded again and if Hitoka couldn’t answer it then all the preparation, the food cooked, the DVDs ordered, and all her hopes to cement the team would be gone.

Swallowing down the hard lump in her throat, she wiped her sweaty palm on her skirt, then wrenched open the door.

“I told you it was floor five, Yamaguchi.”

“Ha – yeah, silly me. Sorry, Tsukki,” Yamaguchi replied, giving Hitoka a small wink. “We got off on floor three, then I sent the lift away, so we walked up the stairs. Hope we’re not late.”

“N-not at all!” she stammered, and flashed trembling smile at both of them. “We’re ... uh ... just about to eat. Why don’t you ... um ... go into the kitchen and ...”

Her faithful lieutenant understood the plea and nudged Tsukishima towards the kitchen, chatting a little as he thanked her for her hospitality.

Alone again, she picked up their shoes, shoving them under the cabinet, too, then blowing her fringe off her forehead, she stared at the kitchen door and the lounge door, not at all sure where she should go.

“I need to po... uh ... I need the bathroom.” Kageyama loomed in front of her.

Just as Tsukishima ducked his head around the door. “You said _we_ , Yachi-san, who else is here ... oh.” 

“YOU!” they both said together.

Hinata bounded towards the confrontation. “What’s happen- GWAH!”

“Ah... I ... Um ...” Hopping from foot to foot, Hitoka tried a smile, but her lips were wobbling and she had to press them together really tight to stop the bubbles of hysteria from leaving her mouth. Because the thing was, Kageyama and Tsukishima squaring off still scared her. They were both so tall – really tall – and while Yamaguchi was also tall, he had a self-deprecating air and an easy smile, so she felt comfortable with him. But Tsukishima. And Kageyama. One only smirked and the other ... she wasn’t sure she’d ever seen him smile, unless they’d won.

This was a dumb idea. A really dumb idea. They had nothing in common except the team, and maybe by pushing it, she’d drive a wedge further between them.

“Uh ... what is Tsukishima doing here?” Hinata asked. He’d crept closer to Hitoka, and she took small comfort from the fact he hadn’t immediately allied himself with Kageyama.

“Um ... I wanted a team meeting,” she said, and started to twist her hair in her fingers. “But not all the team.”

“We can see that,” Tsukishima murmured. His eyes flicked from side to side. “Unless you have the second years hidden in your cloakroom.”

“We’d have heard them by now,” came Yamaguchi’s voice from the kitchen. He emerged, ducking under Tsukishima’s arm, and stood a little closer to Yachi, his eyes switching warily from Kageyama to Tsukishima.

“You knew.”  It was a statement from Tsukishima, not a question.

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“B-because, Yachi-san w-wanted...uh... and I thought it was a good idea ... and then, you were only saying yesterday that when the third years leave it would be difficult and ... uh ...”

_Step in_ , she thought. _My Lieutenant’s floundering._

“It was my idea,” Hitoka said, desperately trying to keep the quake out of her voice. “We’re all first years and in two weeks we go to Nationals. I thought it would be good if we could ... um ... be a team.”

“We are a team,” Hinata said, his eyes even wider and puzzled.

“On court, yes,” she said, and then, staring at Hinata, she stopped feeling nervous, because although he didn’t understand, he was looking at her with such faith, she felt strong. “Off court, we’re kinda separate, though, aren’t we? You and Kageyama come here to study. Yamaguchi came here for some help with his English essay, and Tsukishima-kun -”

“He came here for help with schoolwork?” Kageyama’s lips twitched.

“NO I DID NOT!” Tsukishima snapped. “We were doing a project together. Class four and five mix sometimes. Geology, that was it!”

“Volcanoes,”  Hitoka clarified. And now she was confident because neither Tsukishima or Kageyama had made a move for the front door. She cleared her throat. “They have fissure vents, you know, and bubble away quite happily for decades. You can see the magma, but they don’t always erupt. If they didn’t vent, they probably would though, and so-”

“Huh?” Hinata tipped his face to one side. “Oh ... I get it. We’re volcanoes, aren’t we?”

“Um ... I wouldn’t say that exactly, but-”

“Gah, that so cool. I could be the Small Volcano at Nationals. Bubbling away then erupting –”

“Do I have to listen to this?” Tsukishima hissed. “He’s even more incomprehensible than usual.”

“You could go.”

“Or you could go, your Highness.”

Kageyama glared at him.“All right, we will. Where are my shoes?”

“Hey, what’s with the ‘we’? I’m hungry,” Hinata protested, and grabbed his arm. “And it’s pork, Kageyama. Your favourite.”

“ _His_ favourite. I might have known. Yamaguchi, we’re leaving.”

“There’s strawberry shortcake!” Yamaguchi persisted. “I’ve seen it in the fridge.”

Tsukishima turned to look at her. “Is this true?”

“I made it,” Hitoka mumbled.

“From scratch?” he asked suspiciously.

“Even the sponge,” she replied. Then she sighed, turning her eyes up to Tsukishima’s face, imploring him, before switching her gaze to Kageyama, letting her lips tremble a little, adding a sniff. “I thought if we spent the afternoon together watching films and eating, this would help us get to know each other. Not just the little bits we see at practise or on court, but as ... um ... fellow first years who happen to be part of something incredible.”

Her voice hitched, but this time she wasn’t pretending because it was true, they _were_ part of something incredible, and she was grateful for that every single day. “You welcomed me – a non player and Villager B – and now, I just want to pay that back.”

They were silent. All of them. She watched as Tsukishima opened his mouth, then closed it again, as Kageyama stared at his feet, and Yamaguchi fiddled with his shirt. And then a hand slipped in hers, warm and a little clammy, giving a squeeze.

“You’re so cool, Yachi-san.”

“Am I?”

“Uh-huh. And the curry smells great, doesn’t it, Kageyama?”

He grunted something.

“Kageyama?”

“Yes, it smells good.”

“The strawberry shortcake looks delicious, Tsukki,” Yamaguchi ventured. “We could stay for that, couldn’t we?”

“It would be impolite to refuse,” he murmured in reply and glanced at Hitoka. “You want us to watch a DVD – is it volleyball?”

Vociferously shaking her head, and praying Kageyama didn’t demand his shoes back, she tried another smile. Hinata squeezed her hand again, and this time she squeezed back.

“I’ve got several. Star Wars, Big Hero 6, Jurassic Park, Interstellar, Gravi-“

“Jurassic Park!”

She wasn’t surprised at Tsukishima’s reaction because Yamaguchi had briefed her that it was his favourite film, but the other voice was unexpected.

“Which one?” Kageyama demanded.

“Um... I have both,” she murmured. “Do you like dinosaurs, Kageyama-kun?”

“He does!” Hinata claimed, leaping in the air. “He has dinosaur socks, I saw them at Training Camp”

“SHUT UP, DUMBASS!”

“Tsukki does too!”

“SHUT UP, YAMAGUCHI!”

“Sorry, Tsukki,” Yamaguchi said, making a show of casting his eyes down, but he shot a glance at Hitoka, looking gleeful.

“Then,” she said, straightening up to assume her authority as the host, “let’s sit down. I’ll dish up the curry, we can watch the first one, then have strawberry shortcake for dessert.”

“Perfect!” Yamaguchi cheered.

“Cool!” Hinata agreed.

“S’pose so,” Tsukishima muttered.

Kageyama just shrugged, but there was an almost smile on his face as he sat back down.

As she dished up the food, her best lieutenant by her side, Hitoka thought about the boys – her friends, if they’d let her call them that.

“This is a good idea, Yachi-kun,” Yamaguchi murmured, his cheeks a little pink as he faced her.

“I hope so,” she whispered. “I know the second years are close, but the team’s going to lose so much when the third years graduate, our foundations could crumble.”

“Only if we let them,” Yamaguchi said, his eyes fierce.

“Only if we don’t shore them up,” she agreed, smiling.  “And friendship always seems the best place to start.”

He nodded in agreement, then picking up the tray, carried five bowls of food in for the others. Hitoka sighed happily, and followed with a jug of water and five glasses. She leant against the doorjamb, watching as each boy picked up their food, but didn’t start, intent on waiting for her.

The Crows had given her a purpose beyond school and beyond the isolation of a home life where she’d do homework and wait for her mom.

So now, she was going to repay the favour in whatever way she could.


End file.
